Integrated Physiology

Physiology is a scientific discipline devoted to understanding the functions of the body. It addresses function at multiple levels, including molecular, cellular, organ, and system. An appreciation of the processes that occur at each level is necessary to understand function in health and the dysfunction associated with disease. Homeostasis and integration are fundamental principles of physiology that account for the relative constancy of organ processes and bodily function even in the face of substantial environmental changes. This constancy results from integrative, cooperative interactions of chemical and electrical signaling processes within and between cells, organs and systems. This series on the broad field of physiology covers the major organ systems from an integrative perspective that addresses the molecular and cellular processes that contribute to homeostasis. Material on pathophysiology is also included throughout the books. These state-of-the-art treatises were produced by leading experts in the field of physiology. Each book includes stand-alone information and is intended to be of value to students, scientists, and clinicians in the biomedical sciences. Since physiological concepts are an ever-changing work-in-progress, each contributor will have the opportunity to make periodic updates of the covered material.

Heme Oxygenase and the KidneyDavid StecHeme oxygenases (HOs) are the enzymes responsible for the breakdown of heme and the generation of biliverdin/bilirubin and carbon monoxide (CO). The kidney is a complex organ consisting of many different cell types all working together for the single...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Endothelin in the KidneyDavid Pollock, Erika BoesenThe discovery of a potent vasoconstrictor, endothelin (ET)-1, derived from vascular endothelial cells was among a variety of key lines of investigation that helped to fuel a major explosion of studies related to endothelial cell biology. This was par...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

The Gastrointestinal CirculationPeter KvietysThe microcirculation of the gastrointestinal tract is under the control of both myogenic and metabolic regulatory systems. The myogenic mechanism contributes to basal vascular tone and the regulation of transmural pressure, while the metabolic mechan...Publication Date: 01/01/2010

The Cerebral CirculationMarilyn CipollaThis presentation describes structural and functional properties of the cerebral circulation that are unique to the brain, an organ with high metabolic demands, and the need for tight water and ion homeostasis. Autoregulation is pronounced in the bra...Publication Date: 01/01/2010

Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle FunctionRaouf KhalilVascular smooth muscle (VSM) constitutes most of the tunica media in blood vessels and plays an important role in the control of vascular tone. Ca2+ is a major regulator of VSM contraction and is strictly regulated by an intricate system of Ca2+ mobi...Publication Date: 01/01/2010

Platelet-Vessel Wall Interactions in Hemostasis and ThrombosisRolando Rumbaut, Perumal ThiagarajanPlatelets are essential mediators of the physiologic process of hemostasis and pathologic thrombosis. While platelets do not interact with vascular walls under normal conditions, vascular injury or inflammation result in a coordinated series of event...Publication Date: 01/01/2010

Hepatic CirculationW. Wayne LauttThe Hepatic circulation is unique among vascular beds. The most obvious unique features include the dual vascular supply; the mechanism of intrinsic regulation of the hepatic artery (the hepatic arterial buffer response); the fact that portal blood f...Publication Date: 01/01/2010

Control of Cardiac OutputDavid YoungAlthough cardiac output is measured as the flow of blood from the left ventricle into the aorta, the system that controls cardiac output includes many other components besides the heart itself. The heart's rate of output cannot exceed the rate of ven...Publication Date: 01/01/2010

AngiogenesisThomas Adair, Jean-Pierre MontaniAngiogenesis is the growth of blood vessels from the existing vasculature. The field of angiogenesis has grown enormously in the past 30 years, with only 40 papers published in 1980 and nearly 6000 in 2010. Why has there been this explosive growth in...Publication Date: 01/01/2010